A drum comprises numerous components, but for purposes of this Background of the Invention section only, the elements of concern are the drum's shell, the drum skin or surface, and the drum rim. Essentially, the drum skin is stretched over one or both ends of the shell, and the skin is held in place by the rim. A drum such as a bass drum has two skins, one skin over each surface of the shell, and when the skin is struck with a drum stick or mallet, sound is reverberated between the drum skins, creating the sound characteristic of the drum. A smaller drum, such as a snare drum, also contains two skins over the shell, and is usually struck with a drum stick that is significantly smaller than the drum stick or mallet used to strike a bass drum.
When a drum rim is struck it produces a sound that is different from that of the drum skin, and striking the drum rim is often written as part of a musical arrangement. The sound of the drum rim differs depending upon the materials of which the rim is manufactured. A problem caused by repeated striking of the drum rim by the drummer is damage to the drum rim itself. This is especially among bass drums used in marching bands, where the drum is repeatedly struck by the drummer's heavy drum stick or mallet. Damage to the drum rim can have several effects, such as problems associated with tuning the drum and keeping it in tune, whether or not the drum skin remains stretched tightly and uniformly over the shell of the drum, and the need to replace the drum rim itself, which can be a costly repair. A damaged drum rim may also contribute to damaging the drum skin and require the drum skin to be replaced. If the damage to the rim or rims is severe enough, it may necessitate replacement of the drum altogether. This resulting loss of use of the drum, related "down time" and repair costs can adversely affect a musician or band.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,933 Hsieh describes a reinforced musical drum rim which has a concavity cut out of the drum rim's underside, and which contains a plurality of hexagonally-shaped reinforcement structures in a honeycomb-like arrangement. This drum rim is designed to protect the drum rim from becoming deformed during tuning of the drum, when a plurality of clamping screws are tightened and stretch the drum skin over the open end of the drum body. The drum rim is not readily removable from the drum, nor can it be quickly interchanged without affecting the position of the drum skin.
Fuji et al. describe a drum in which the drum rim is replaced with a reinforced ring which extends above the surface of the drum skin in U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,544. They note that striking the drum rim with a drum stick produces metallic sounds, and by replacing the standard metal drum rim with a reinforced wooden rim, different musical tones, such as those like a tom-tom, can be produced instead of the metallic tones. The ring is held in place by a plurality of head supporting and stretching assemblies mounted on the outer surface of the drum shell, suggesting that it would be difficult to remove this ring readily from the drum without removing the drum skin, and consequently having to retune the drum.
Thus there is a need for an easy to use accessory for a drum which can be readily attached to the shell of the drum and prevent damage to the drum rim or rims, and which can also be used to generate one or more musical tones. The present invention is rim protection device or rim block which is attached to the shell of a bass drum, and protects the rim from damage when struck by a drummer. Further, the present invention can be used as a musical instrument by itself, or when it is attached to a drum.